Be Careful What You Ask For

We had a weather advisory this morning, for a few inches of blowing/drifting snow. Would have made the morning drive a bit, er, problematic.

We had eight inches as of 0630, which made the drive downright dramatic. No big deal driving in 8" of dry snow: it's powdery, and swirls, drifts, and floats. Give it a few seconds, and it all falls to earth again. Take your time, and all will be well.

But we didn't get eight inches of powder; now, as of 1407, there are some 13" on the ground, and it's supposed to snow for another couple of hours.

It's I-can't-see-where-I'm-going weather. The knowledge that I'll have to park on the street when we get home, and walk up the hill to get the snowblower, isn't helping. The private contractors with whom our town contracts the residential plowing will have closed both ends of our C-shaped driveway. It typically takes 15 to 20 minutes of work just to open the entrance.

Grumblegrumblegrumblegrumblegrumblegrumble ...

Oh, well ... I wanted a big house in the mountains. The 270' foot driveway is a bonus, right?  :)

Another Job Well Done

(Note: we've had precious little snow this season, as it's all gone southeast into the Lower 48. Darn it.)

Once in awhile, the weather cooperates with my randomized work schedule. Today is such a day.

We got a few inches of snow yesterday morning, while I was at work. During the day, temps rose to 37°, so the snow shrank and turned slushy.

Last night, as temps dropped below freezing again, we got more snow. So this morning, a non-workday, I was able to attack the snowfall while it's still relatively fresh, with only a few tire tracks in it.

From top to bottom, you can see much of the 270' of driveway. This snow still has a lot of moisture in it, and was rather ... well, chunky. It required a bit more effort on my part than is usual, as the snowblower kept veering to the sides.

But the machine and I managed.

Brushed off and put away. Still a bit wet, but I draw the line at rubbing it with a towel.  :)

Hit or Miss

The Nat'l Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for last night, after a weekend's worth of dire predictions about a mini-snowpocalypse. (Hint: eight inches of snow is widely considered a dusting, here.)

So they warned us all that "heavy snow" would play havoc with this morning's commute.

We got an inch and a half.


The storm slowed down, they say. It'll be here tomorrow, they say. Be ready, they say.